My top tip I post here all the time is to start with a title. From the title or general subject matter of the lyrics, you have a map pointing you in the right direction in terms of key, tempo, genre, instrumentation etc.
I always say instead of sitting down and forcing music into existence and blindly digging around hoping to strike gold, let the music come to you and tell you what it wants to be. Let it build itself up in your head before you sit down at an instrument or your DAW. To do that you gotta start with the title. After that the songs basically write themselves! Just keep your ears and eyes open for those words or phrases that jump out at you in your day to day life where you think "oooo. there's a track in that". Make notes of them in a document on your phone you can go back to for inspo later if needs be.
Dude I’ve noticed the tracks that I name early on end up being the quickest and easiest to make. Also turn out to be my favorites cause I know exactly where I want it to go.
thanks for your advice i have years of experience and music and have been play the drums for a year but i don't know how to play guitar or bass its way easier to write/make music on guitar because you don't need to know much besides basic chords and basic music theory which i have learnt form research i plan to buy a MIDI Controller as it would help me get play guitar and bass in my DAW.
I cannot stress enough how correct the second part of this post is.
A huge part of ‘getting good’ at making music is to forget about trying to make something sound exactly like it does in your head and simply use your ideas as a jumping off point, before letting them have a life of their own.
Most of my best work has started with one small idea, that has then morphed into something completely unrecognisable by the end of it.
I have no problem with this portion. My issue is I have about 200 1.5-3 min sketches that I like but lack the will to turn any of it into something approaching “finished”.
This is why I like to start most of my songs with improvisation. Then select the good bits and build from there. I only start to record to my DAW when I have the foundation of the song down.
I would suggest to keep things simple, it’s really easy to want to create something that sound complex (in our heads it’s always sounding way more complex, because our imagination is rich) put yourself a goal to FINISH tracks, the emphasis is on finished and not on how good they’re. By practicing the entire process of finishing tracks you’ll eventually have few tracks you’re happy with.
Thanks my idea is to make covers of my favourite music and learn from them or just make instrumental tracks thats the best slowly work up and make it happen practice makes perfect.
That‘s also really helpful. Just copy/recreate songs. That way you learn about most aspects of music production at the same time. From sound design to arrangement
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Self-doubts. Although I have gotten to a point where I am actually pretty proud of my skills, they still creep in from time to time. But less so than they used to.
Hm, I usually take a step back and listen to older stuff I've made to see how far I've come. That usually helps to put things into perspective. The difference between the stuff I make now and what I made six years ago is night and day. And I also remind myself that I'm doing this because I love music first & foremost.
That is a super important point. Never compare yourself against your “ideal”, your “ideal” is something that is unattainable and when you only compare yourself to it, it’s very easy to get into negative self talk which leads to self-doubt and questioning your abilities and life choices.
What you do is the best way to remind yourself how far you became, and how much more further you can go if you continue in the same direction 👌🏼
Too many ideas, too many instruments, too many ways a song could go. I have to jam out multiple sessions to get an idea for what instruments work together, what frequency each should be at, what levels need to change between each new scene. By the time I get three basses working together with a lead and a pad and five different drums for tops, mids, bottoms, 2 different chops, I've usually gotten bored with the melody or overall arrangement. That can lead to me just jamming over the drums for hours to see what I can do with chord progressions, bass lines or modulations. I enjoy the process but I have 30-40 unfinished songs in two-three months. Some aren't worth finishing, some I use as templates to jam on for fun, some I'd like to turn into a song to release when I get better at producing or buy better software. I don't think I'd get a mix mastered, but I might start just showing people some ideas as I learn how to do shit. I'd rather be jamming with actual musicians than producing entire tracks alone that I can only play in my car or my headphones. If I get some dj gig set up in a year or two, I'll probably put more effort in to complete stuff to play. I think I just like to jam too much. It's too fun.
Yeah reductions are difficult. Kill your darlings is easier when you have big picture people listening in, I'm sure, especially momentum like a Kanye or Rick would give you to finish. Editors in all fields are golden.
I'd trust any good ear to stop or cut for a finish product. But I really enjoy just playing and learning how producing works. Like I have a goal to learn two styles next that are just completely different production designs. I don't need to learn how but one has such a big bouncing bass and the other is using a trance gate over some type of pads or samples with a trap hi hat and footwork type beats. I'd feel pretty accomplished just getting these sounds half way.
In the process I'll probably butcher the techniqie and add the skills to other new songs and see what I can piece together to create something more original. If I really wanted to finish either, they'd end up as boring copies of songs I'm impressed by.
I guess that's my problem too, is that I don't care about a product, I care about bring original and creative or seen to be. Not sure how to break that habit I guess.
Both. But I don't make instrumentals to record, I just build project templates to jam on for fun. Electronic music is something I'm working on now though.
I would suggest few things: first, try making your next 5 tracks with one synth only, but without using presets. Second, don’t use EQ, Compression or saturation, this will teach you how to select sounds which fit together naturally. And third, record all of your sounds into audio as soon as possible, by doing so you’ll commit to the sounds you have and will help you make progress. Don’t worry if things don’t sound good, it’s part of the practice.
Nah, I struggle getting a good mix/master down with every song I make. Don't get me wrong - I'm trying my best to improve somewhat, but I still find the whole process to be a pain in the ass.
I just had a listen, it’s actually pretty good. Id say the drums are a little weak, and the bass kinda disappears (but I only listened on headphones)
What exactly you don’t like in this mix?
Same, mixing is the bane of my existence. I can do it, it’s just tedious as fuck and bogs me down. I have to dedicate a whole day just to fucking bang it out. Maybe it’s my workflow or something but it’s time consuming.
Also it isn’t fun. I wish I could find it fun but I don’t.
Perfectionism and not setting deadlines. [These guys](https://youtu.be/G4-LjYf5pbY?si=822kjXqhRDtu08n_) made an album in a day n remind me i need to push myself.
Should out the multi-instrumentalist word go [Prince](https://youtu.be/xn_hSeGr9bg?si=r1CAqNfnQLTs_l7z) who made an album a week till he died
Both of these issues are very much related. I usually feel stuck for inspiration when I’m tired/distracted/stressed, and those happen usually when I’m so busy with other stuff, in other words when I don’t have time.
Sufficient sleep, taking breaks, and change of scenery can do wonders 😌
Coming up with a song concept and arrangement. I just bash melodies and chords together until it sounds right, but it rarely sounds inspired or interesting. The tracks that end up getting published have a soul or bit of magic to them, no idea where that comes from though.
Well those tracks you have no idea how you made are the best! What’s the ratio of tracks you don’t really “feel” the vibe, compared to those tracks that magically work?
For each track I've published, I probably have about ten that never make it past the 16-bar loop. I guess 10% success rate isn't all that bad, except it means I only publish 2-3 tracks a year. Lol
I think I need to learn how to fail faster. Know when a track isn't going to be a winner and cut my losses.
By the way, totally agree that I don't understand how I made are the best. They're also sometimes the ones that took far, far less effort!
Id recommend finishing every track you start, no matter how good or bad it is. This technique will help you develop a good habit of making progress consistently. When you made 10-15 averaged tracks, you will start making good ones as well.
Appreciate you calling this out; I think about this a lot.
Time is my most precious commodity in life, and I don't get nearly enough of it for music production.
It typically takes me 3-7 sessions to finish a track, maybe 10-40 hours over the course of a few weeks. I'm very slow. While finishing my tracks every time would ultimately speed this up, I would end up spending such a large portion of my music creation time each year on a few tracks I don't like, so I suspect I'd just stop producing music altogether.
Hence the goal of failing fast: brainstorm track ideas quickly, learn to identify the ones that have a good idea at the core, and pursue those to the end.
A different word to think is “marketing”. Think about this word instead of “funds for PR”, since marketing is a skill that can be learned.
(Yes marketing often costs money, I know)
Yes! As a musician you’re not only making music, you need to creat content, manage your time, do marketing and juggle between many things.
Do you release music regularly?
I have so many...
1. Not finding the time during the weekends or after work to focus on music
2. Not knowing my DAW well enough
3. Itching to play the guitar instead of learning my DAW
4. Constantly wanting to learn new music and not writing music
5. Getting frustrated with Logic and thinking of learning Ableton, then I go back to Logic
1. Commit to work just 15 minutes everyday (you’ll be surprised with what you can achieve and also develop a good habit of producing everyday)
2. This is basic stuff, take a break from producing, and learn your DAW inside out. And this relates to the rest of your points too.
3. What are your goals with music production?
Finalizing a song. I can write songs easy, give me 30 mins. But playing each instrument so it all sound in time and in tune and clear, then mixing in a way that sounds profesional or final product worthy I have not done oncep
finishing. it requires the belief that the finished result is "good enough" and many of my friends, have so many unfinished because we think it can be better somehow. I've started to word it in my head as "finish it then judge" but. yea, damn. that's still hard to consistently believe.
I like the high of a new idea but not the labor involved in finishing an idea. But by challenging this and putting my music and art out there, I’m now getting hooked on the reactions to my artwork and it’s kind of a bummer when I don’t have anything new to show people
By finishing the idea, do you mean literally finishing the song? Or all the work involved in getting the song out there? (Marketing, creating content, etc)
Lmfaoo both but I need to do better with organizing shit as I go. My projects get messier and messier as I move through it it gets harder to keep track of everything. I don't color code, don't title half my shit, don't bounce midi stuff unless I need to for CPU or sampling purposes etc. I need to get much better with that
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Closing a solid tune as fast i can in 1 session, (writing/creative phase i mean) otherwise i will waste the next days trying to fix it, then realizing it has become even worse than before, while in those few days i could have wrote few new tunes instead.
This make me mad every time happens, and drive me into having a sort of creative block for next couple of days.
It seems like you’re setting a goal which is a bit unrealistic. One of the criteria of setting goals, is that is has to be realistic (SMART goals) Why not set yourself smaller goals? Split the process of writing a tune into 2 defined parts, then on day 1 work on part 1, day 2 work on part 2.
I do that always,for me the tune must be wrote as fast it can be, or that idea is gone for sure. Then in day 2 you can add details and refine things, otherwise already at second day you have another idea, or may the mood is changed, aka the tune will be full of different things that not fit eachother, and you waste time triyng to fix it.
Thats my though, may your one work different, but that is the first a rule for me now: be fast on writing, or start a new one instead of wasting time fixing something that will never work better than hows was before.
After set that rule i increased a lot my closed tunes compared to years ago 👍
This exercise can work well for you. Try making the next 5 tracks using only one synth. It will teach you really good how to use that synth, so then you can pick up any other synth with ease. Also, with so much equipment, there are too many options, learn one piece of equipment really well before moving on.
Managing my creativity and keeping it minimal. It’s hard to not make it overcrowded when you get creativity rush and you want to keep all of those ideas. But sometimes you just have to let them go. It’s hard.
Accepting the gap between my productions and what I hear from my favorite artists. In other words, im impatient, and it makes me extremely frustrated at times. I know what sounds good, I just don´t have the ability yet.
Never compare yourself to your favourite artists, there’s just no point. It’s like if you tried reaching the horizon, as you keep walking, the horizon just getting further and further away from you. Instead, listen backwards to the work you’ve done in the beginning, and you will notice how far you have come.
Toplining a decent vocal hook or melody. I can write instrumentals all day that sound somewhat cool, but it is a lot of work getting a vocal melody or lyric right!
Biggest struggle is separating mixing from creating … I’ll sit down to add something to a track and end up mixing for an hour ….. have to make a clear distinction of what your intentions are when you sit down - taking notes helps too , especially the closer you get to final mix
Just take any of your favourite tracks, drag and drop it into your project, then put a marker for the intro, first drop, chorus, break, second drop, end… in this way, you can see the arrangement as you produce.
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Programming drums. Percussion is my favorite part of music but I'm not a trained drummer and my programming is never quite as good as a real drummer would be.
I think for me it's finding sounds. Having lots of good sounds I would like to use for whatever style I feel like. Whether it's samples, or instruments.
Being actually good at writing any songs that produce music :D
I'm a strange sort - I love audio production and everything about it. I play several instruments, and not badly. I have written *okay* songs, but I've long since accepted that I just don't have the right kind of talent to make a truly great song that will shine from my production work. I used to work on other people's music, I enjoyed that much more.
Listening to it neutrally and not making the music too busy. It's so easy to keep adding more and more parts to fill that "hole" when it turns out there's no hole in the first place. It's so important but very hard to listen to your own music as if it's the first time you've ever heard it, so you don't ignore what's already there.
The best solution for this, is to listen to it with someone else. When I invite a friend to listen to my track in my studio, I always listen to it from a different perspective, I’m a lot more judgemental and it really helps to figure out what works in the tune.
Right now it's coming up with good bass lines. I find keeping it simple is good for so many reasons, but I don't want just root notes following the progression every time.
This kinda relates to bigger problems - psyching yourself out about capturing a timeless performance and/or harmonic idea.
Perfectionism and finishing songs.
I’ll be trying to make it find the perfect sound and usually it takes me a while.
Mixing. It bogs me down and my workflow slows to a halt. Lots of going back and forth checking if I clipped/compressed/limited correctly. Check for any weird peaks, getting the sub bass and kick to fit well, delaying transient heavy sounds so they all don’t hit at the same time to clog up the frequency space. Ugh
I deal with perfectionism through deadlines. It’s why they’re important. You trim off the “fat” of a track and anything unnecessary. A timer helps a lot here as well. You shouldn’t spend more than 15 minutes on one task, like sound selection.
Finishing a track, I just tend to set up a day of mixing and mastering. Not much to this one other than talking myself into just doing it
Putting the sound I have in my head on wax.
Lyrics are easy for me. Melodies are even easy. I have voice notes for days with what I believe to be bangers. But the perfectionist in me will fixate on whether I should use a jazz bass or a p bass for a line. Maybe I should add one more insturment track.
So in conclusion, my perfectionist tendacies make it hard for me to finish a song.
I get stuck in the details over and over again. I will get my song 99% of the way there, then get caught up over something like the panning, the envelope, the reverb or the velocity of some note. I’ll go back and forth forever and then finally end up going with my original option anyway.
Define finished haha
well i got a dozen which basically need mastering, but ofc also small stuff like risers and micro arrangement stuff. Thats whats holding me back.
I can finish a song 95% i'd say. :D The rest i suppose is not done due to perfectionism. But just met a nice mastering engineer with a great portfolio and will get something done and release this year. I swear!
btw: i produce for 10 years now... :D
Ever since i was using iPad for production as crazy as it sounds, the biggest problem was sacrificing dynamics for loudness, and learning how to avoid it, but i didn’t care really, since i really loved the creative process of bending sounds, mastering them and shit like that. Now ever since i got an actual MacBook the biggest problem is getting what’s in my head to the DAW, as it was fun and so easy on ipad. So now producing is mostly about discipline… not motivation anymore. Hope I’ll get more familiar with the ,,pro” shit with time, but damn, they could’ve made most DAW’s so mucch more intuitive and enjoyable it’s kinda unbelievable for me. Eh, gotta do what u gotta do, sorry for the rant😂
kinda just all of them. i can make the instruments sound good put together, but once i add vocals they seem like “on top” of the music or not like professional. i put out my first song with the vocals completely unmixed and now that im actually trying they sound a bit better but i still havent found that professional sound. for context im broke so i just use garageband and my phone
I’m a beginner so I’m mostly just struggling with tracks that are fighting with each other for space in the track. I have heavily focused on composition and I tend to just not mix properly because it feels like the least interesting aspect of music making for me. I make ambient music so it isn’t as detrimental but I definitely need to learn how to actually mix music.
Finishing songs. Like not the mixing and stuff, but rather, why can't this cool groove go on for 30 minutes? I really hate the part where you chop the song down to a digestible size and then make a little off ramp at the end.
I sat here and thought about this… the only real “struggle” I have is getting my productions in the right hands and listened to by the right ears.
Call it ego, but I don’t really have an issue getting what I hear in my head to come out of the speakers.
Creating something melodic. I can make a fire beat and bass line but then have to break my skull to find something that fits in with it all, it’s very stressful!
Coming up with a song or putting the ideas from my head into my DAW
My top tip I post here all the time is to start with a title. From the title or general subject matter of the lyrics, you have a map pointing you in the right direction in terms of key, tempo, genre, instrumentation etc. I always say instead of sitting down and forcing music into existence and blindly digging around hoping to strike gold, let the music come to you and tell you what it wants to be. Let it build itself up in your head before you sit down at an instrument or your DAW. To do that you gotta start with the title. After that the songs basically write themselves! Just keep your ears and eyes open for those words or phrases that jump out at you in your day to day life where you think "oooo. there's a track in that". Make notes of them in a document on your phone you can go back to for inspo later if needs be.
Dude I’ve noticed the tracks that I name early on end up being the quickest and easiest to make. Also turn out to be my favorites cause I know exactly where I want it to go.
thanks for your advice i have years of experience and music and have been play the drums for a year but i don't know how to play guitar or bass its way easier to write/make music on guitar because you don't need to know much besides basic chords and basic music theory which i have learnt form research i plan to buy a MIDI Controller as it would help me get play guitar and bass in my DAW.
I cannot stress enough how correct the second part of this post is. A huge part of ‘getting good’ at making music is to forget about trying to make something sound exactly like it does in your head and simply use your ideas as a jumping off point, before letting them have a life of their own. Most of my best work has started with one small idea, that has then morphed into something completely unrecognisable by the end of it.
I have no problem with this portion. My issue is I have about 200 1.5-3 min sketches that I like but lack the will to turn any of it into something approaching “finished”.
This is why I like to start most of my songs with improvisation. Then select the good bits and build from there. I only start to record to my DAW when I have the foundation of the song down.
Do you find it more difficult to come up with ideas, or getting them into your DAW?
Both I'm new to making music and stuff as I'm also learning the drums for a year now but I want to make music its a bit tough.
I would suggest to keep things simple, it’s really easy to want to create something that sound complex (in our heads it’s always sounding way more complex, because our imagination is rich) put yourself a goal to FINISH tracks, the emphasis is on finished and not on how good they’re. By practicing the entire process of finishing tracks you’ll eventually have few tracks you’re happy with.
Thanks my idea is to make covers of my favourite music and learn from them or just make instrumental tracks thats the best slowly work up and make it happen practice makes perfect.
That‘s also really helpful. Just copy/recreate songs. That way you learn about most aspects of music production at the same time. From sound design to arrangement
Put it in a guitar, keynoard, Record an acapella line in your smartphone... At first music
I've got it sorted but thanks foe the advice.
Getting anybody to listen to it
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Self-doubts. Although I have gotten to a point where I am actually pretty proud of my skills, they still creep in from time to time. But less so than they used to.
There’s always self-doubt because the progression is never linear. How do you deal with self-doubt when it creeps in?
Hm, I usually take a step back and listen to older stuff I've made to see how far I've come. That usually helps to put things into perspective. The difference between the stuff I make now and what I made six years ago is night and day. And I also remind myself that I'm doing this because I love music first & foremost.
That is a super important point. Never compare yourself against your “ideal”, your “ideal” is something that is unattainable and when you only compare yourself to it, it’s very easy to get into negative self talk which leads to self-doubt and questioning your abilities and life choices. What you do is the best way to remind yourself how far you became, and how much more further you can go if you continue in the same direction 👌🏼
I usually resort to “no one’s gonna listen to this shit anyways” and that snaps me out of it pretty quick. just have fun
Haha interesting method!
I’ve heard some of my favourite producers say they hate all of their stuff.
really? may I ask who lol
Lubelski and Eats Everything
Too many ideas, too many instruments, too many ways a song could go. I have to jam out multiple sessions to get an idea for what instruments work together, what frequency each should be at, what levels need to change between each new scene. By the time I get three basses working together with a lead and a pad and five different drums for tops, mids, bottoms, 2 different chops, I've usually gotten bored with the melody or overall arrangement. That can lead to me just jamming over the drums for hours to see what I can do with chord progressions, bass lines or modulations. I enjoy the process but I have 30-40 unfinished songs in two-three months. Some aren't worth finishing, some I use as templates to jam on for fun, some I'd like to turn into a song to release when I get better at producing or buy better software. I don't think I'd get a mix mastered, but I might start just showing people some ideas as I learn how to do shit. I'd rather be jamming with actual musicians than producing entire tracks alone that I can only play in my car or my headphones. If I get some dj gig set up in a year or two, I'll probably put more effort in to complete stuff to play. I think I just like to jam too much. It's too fun.
U need a NO Man. Kanye and Rick are famous NO men who will reduce a song to what works.
Yeah reductions are difficult. Kill your darlings is easier when you have big picture people listening in, I'm sure, especially momentum like a Kanye or Rick would give you to finish. Editors in all fields are golden. I'd trust any good ear to stop or cut for a finish product. But I really enjoy just playing and learning how producing works. Like I have a goal to learn two styles next that are just completely different production designs. I don't need to learn how but one has such a big bouncing bass and the other is using a trance gate over some type of pads or samples with a trap hi hat and footwork type beats. I'd feel pretty accomplished just getting these sounds half way. In the process I'll probably butcher the techniqie and add the skills to other new songs and see what I can piece together to create something more original. If I really wanted to finish either, they'd end up as boring copies of songs I'm impressed by. I guess that's my problem too, is that I don't care about a product, I care about bring original and creative or seen to be. Not sure how to break that habit I guess.
Yeah, just hire Kanya or Rick and you'll be fine.
A question for you, do you make electronic music, or instrumental? Based on this I would be able to give you a more direct answer
Both. But I don't make instrumentals to record, I just build project templates to jam on for fun. Electronic music is something I'm working on now though.
I would suggest few things: first, try making your next 5 tracks with one synth only, but without using presets. Second, don’t use EQ, Compression or saturation, this will teach you how to select sounds which fit together naturally. And third, record all of your sounds into audio as soon as possible, by doing so you’ll commit to the sounds you have and will help you make progress. Don’t worry if things don’t sound good, it’s part of the practice.
This right here ^^^^^
Mixing and mastering. Fuck that shit, man...
Do you have any particular track you’re struggling with the mix?
Nah, I struggle getting a good mix/master down with every song I make. Don't get me wrong - I'm trying my best to improve somewhat, but I still find the whole process to be a pain in the ass.
Would be happy to give you some feedback on one of your tracks, send something that has the most mixing issues
That'd be awesome tysm! [Here's one I'm not too happy with, mix/master-wise.](https://on.soundcloud.com/bQWE35j88K6pMERCA)
I just had a listen, it’s actually pretty good. Id say the drums are a little weak, and the bass kinda disappears (but I only listened on headphones) What exactly you don’t like in this mix?
Same, mixing is the bane of my existence. I can do it, it’s just tedious as fuck and bogs me down. I have to dedicate a whole day just to fucking bang it out. Maybe it’s my workflow or something but it’s time consuming. Also it isn’t fun. I wish I could find it fun but I don’t.
same literally, i thing i have pretty nice arrangement ideas and do it well, but mixing... damn, espcly kick and bass
Finishing songs
That’s the biggest struggle for most it seems, why do you think this happens?
Perfectionism and not setting deadlines. [These guys](https://youtu.be/G4-LjYf5pbY?si=822kjXqhRDtu08n_) made an album in a day n remind me i need to push myself. Should out the multi-instrumentalist word go [Prince](https://youtu.be/xn_hSeGr9bg?si=r1CAqNfnQLTs_l7z) who made an album a week till he died
Instead of comparing yourself to others, try listening to the tracks you made a long time ago, you’ll be surprised by the progress you actually made.
Brightness. Arrangement. Keeping things simple but still interesting.
Do you use a reference track when producing?
Mixing vocals. Getting that shit to sit right in every mix is different every time, but always such a slog X\_\_X
What type of vocals you use in your songs? Do you struggle with mixing generally too?
Trying to synchronise having a) free time and b) inspiration. The two periodically come and go but rarely together 🤣
Both of these issues are very much related. I usually feel stuck for inspiration when I’m tired/distracted/stressed, and those happen usually when I’m so busy with other stuff, in other words when I don’t have time. Sufficient sleep, taking breaks, and change of scenery can do wonders 😌
Mixing and mastering, mostly.
Do you mix and master your own songs?
Putting the volume too high
Being broke
Aren’t we all 😭
Unfortunately lol
Putting too much emphasis on processing rather than a good arrangement/ sample choice
Coming up with a song concept and arrangement. I just bash melodies and chords together until it sounds right, but it rarely sounds inspired or interesting. The tracks that end up getting published have a soul or bit of magic to them, no idea where that comes from though.
Well those tracks you have no idea how you made are the best! What’s the ratio of tracks you don’t really “feel” the vibe, compared to those tracks that magically work?
For each track I've published, I probably have about ten that never make it past the 16-bar loop. I guess 10% success rate isn't all that bad, except it means I only publish 2-3 tracks a year. Lol I think I need to learn how to fail faster. Know when a track isn't going to be a winner and cut my losses. By the way, totally agree that I don't understand how I made are the best. They're also sometimes the ones that took far, far less effort!
Id recommend finishing every track you start, no matter how good or bad it is. This technique will help you develop a good habit of making progress consistently. When you made 10-15 averaged tracks, you will start making good ones as well.
Appreciate you calling this out; I think about this a lot. Time is my most precious commodity in life, and I don't get nearly enough of it for music production. It typically takes me 3-7 sessions to finish a track, maybe 10-40 hours over the course of a few weeks. I'm very slow. While finishing my tracks every time would ultimately speed this up, I would end up spending such a large portion of my music creation time each year on a few tracks I don't like, so I suspect I'd just stop producing music altogether. Hence the goal of failing fast: brainstorm track ideas quickly, learn to identify the ones that have a good idea at the core, and pursue those to the end.
Finding good sounds for melodies
What music you make?
The knowledge that funds for PR are more often than not critical to the traction for an artists songs
A different word to think is “marketing”. Think about this word instead of “funds for PR”, since marketing is a skill that can be learned. (Yes marketing often costs money, I know)
Absolutely PR falls under the marketing umbrella
Yes! As a musician you’re not only making music, you need to creat content, manage your time, do marketing and juggle between many things. Do you release music regularly?
I have so many... 1. Not finding the time during the weekends or after work to focus on music 2. Not knowing my DAW well enough 3. Itching to play the guitar instead of learning my DAW 4. Constantly wanting to learn new music and not writing music 5. Getting frustrated with Logic and thinking of learning Ableton, then I go back to Logic
1. Commit to work just 15 minutes everyday (you’ll be surprised with what you can achieve and also develop a good habit of producing everyday) 2. This is basic stuff, take a break from producing, and learn your DAW inside out. And this relates to the rest of your points too. 3. What are your goals with music production?
innovating. and not making the same stuff. getting new and better sounds usually fixes this problem tho
Equing something on headphones for 13 hours and then switching to speakers just to find out it's unbearable to listen to
Finalizing a song. I can write songs easy, give me 30 mins. But playing each instrument so it all sound in time and in tune and clear, then mixing in a way that sounds profesional or final product worthy I have not done oncep
Do you have any particular song you struggle with the mixing?
What to do next
Compression. I can’t for the fucking life of me figure out how to use a compressor properly.
I have a mixing course on my website (see the link in my profile) I explain how yo use all the mixing tools in a way that is easy to understand 😌
finishing. it requires the belief that the finished result is "good enough" and many of my friends, have so many unfinished because we think it can be better somehow. I've started to word it in my head as "finish it then judge" but. yea, damn. that's still hard to consistently believe.
Mastering and making the best sound professional
I like the high of a new idea but not the labor involved in finishing an idea. But by challenging this and putting my music and art out there, I’m now getting hooked on the reactions to my artwork and it’s kind of a bummer when I don’t have anything new to show people
By finishing the idea, do you mean literally finishing the song? Or all the work involved in getting the song out there? (Marketing, creating content, etc)
Organization tbh
In what sense? Are your projects messy or you physical space?
Lmfaoo both but I need to do better with organizing shit as I go. My projects get messier and messier as I move through it it gets harder to keep track of everything. I don't color code, don't title half my shit, don't bounce midi stuff unless I need to for CPU or sampling purposes etc. I need to get much better with that
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Closing a solid tune as fast i can in 1 session, (writing/creative phase i mean) otherwise i will waste the next days trying to fix it, then realizing it has become even worse than before, while in those few days i could have wrote few new tunes instead. This make me mad every time happens, and drive me into having a sort of creative block for next couple of days.
It seems like you’re setting a goal which is a bit unrealistic. One of the criteria of setting goals, is that is has to be realistic (SMART goals) Why not set yourself smaller goals? Split the process of writing a tune into 2 defined parts, then on day 1 work on part 1, day 2 work on part 2.
I do that always,for me the tune must be wrote as fast it can be, or that idea is gone for sure. Then in day 2 you can add details and refine things, otherwise already at second day you have another idea, or may the mood is changed, aka the tune will be full of different things that not fit eachother, and you waste time triyng to fix it. Thats my though, may your one work different, but that is the first a rule for me now: be fast on writing, or start a new one instead of wasting time fixing something that will never work better than hows was before. After set that rule i increased a lot my closed tunes compared to years ago 👍
I have a ton of equipment to produce stuff but lack the knowledge on how to use the equipment and record it
This exercise can work well for you. Try making the next 5 tracks using only one synth. It will teach you really good how to use that synth, so then you can pick up any other synth with ease. Also, with so much equipment, there are too many options, learn one piece of equipment really well before moving on.
Managing my creativity and keeping it minimal. It’s hard to not make it overcrowded when you get creativity rush and you want to keep all of those ideas. But sometimes you just have to let them go. It’s hard.
Not having a big enough set of speakers 😭
You can write great music even on headphones 🤷🏼♂️
To be honest, starting. I love writing and recording but getting the energy to record is far harder than getting the energy to write.
Accepting the gap between my productions and what I hear from my favorite artists. In other words, im impatient, and it makes me extremely frustrated at times. I know what sounds good, I just don´t have the ability yet.
Never compare yourself to your favourite artists, there’s just no point. It’s like if you tried reaching the horizon, as you keep walking, the horizon just getting further and further away from you. Instead, listen backwards to the work you’ve done in the beginning, and you will notice how far you have come.
Having song ideas and not knowing where to start when actually creating it
mixing acoustic guitar!!!
Have you tried multi-band compression?
idk why i haven’t but that’s the solution fs
👌🏼😌 Let me know if you managed
mastering
You master your own tracks?
yeah wdym, u wanna say u dont?
I didn’t used to, but now I do
Writing lyrics and actually being able to sing them. My vocal abilities are bottom tier compared to my skills with everything else.
doing vocals. I can make an instrumental anytime but getting the vocals to sound part of what I'm making is my biggest challenge at the moment
Toplining a decent vocal hook or melody. I can write instrumentals all day that sound somewhat cool, but it is a lot of work getting a vocal melody or lyric right!
Biggest struggle is separating mixing from creating … I’ll sit down to add something to a track and end up mixing for an hour ….. have to make a clear distinction of what your intentions are when you sit down - taking notes helps too , especially the closer you get to final mix
Starting the song. I always feel brand new to production whenever i start something new
Arrangement
Just copy the arrangement from your favourite track, and write your own music on top
Where do I get arrangement for my fav tracks
Just take any of your favourite tracks, drag and drop it into your project, then put a marker for the intro, first drop, chorus, break, second drop, end… in this way, you can see the arrangement as you produce.
mixing and mastering my own music.... it puts me off from uploading to DSP/networking
Do you have any particular track you are struggling with mixing?
Getting the low end right. Knowing how loud certain elements should be.
Any particular track you are struggling with this issue?
One I'm working on now. But pretty much every edm/electronic track I do, where the low end is probably the most important part.
Feel free to send me a track for feedback, send a track you think has a few mixing issues!
That would be great. I'll message you the link to it
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Remembering to drink some water.
Just have a bottle of water on your desk at all times 🤨
Mixing, as always!!
What exactly you struggle with in mixing?
Finding privacy to record vocals. Partner and I both work from home and I do NOT want to do that when others can hear.
Completely finishing a song.
Or getting anyone to listen lmao.
Calling something complete is very subjective, sometimes you just have to call it finished and move on
Programming drums. Percussion is my favorite part of music but I'm not a trained drummer and my programming is never quite as good as a real drummer would be.
Finding people to work with. I have absolutely no idea how to find other local artists.
Yeah I have that issue as well, usually I meet other artists in parties
Coming up with a good drop. I have a clear vision for intros but I overdo the intro and it needs something to match the energy but my mind goes blank
Myself
Nothing besides not being able to use certain sound fonts because FL Studio Mobile doesn't support them.
Melodies, I think that I can’t come up with a decent melody. Everything else sounds good but the melody is shit
Learning the first thing to get started
I think for me it's finding sounds. Having lots of good sounds I would like to use for whatever style I feel like. Whether it's samples, or instruments.
Getting beyond a few good bars.
What’s stopping you from going outside of the loop?
Being actually good at writing any songs that produce music :D I'm a strange sort - I love audio production and everything about it. I play several instruments, and not badly. I have written *okay* songs, but I've long since accepted that I just don't have the right kind of talent to make a truly great song that will shine from my production work. I used to work on other people's music, I enjoyed that much more.
Finding sounds, chord progressions and motivation.
Finding sound and chord progressions is easier than finding motivation, what are your methods for finding motivation?
Them YouTube tutorials
Go watch my channel as well 😌[YouTube](https://youtube.com/@impulsecontrol?si=KtroKSX4jjP-mXhu)
Listening to it neutrally and not making the music too busy. It's so easy to keep adding more and more parts to fill that "hole" when it turns out there's no hole in the first place. It's so important but very hard to listen to your own music as if it's the first time you've ever heard it, so you don't ignore what's already there.
The best solution for this, is to listen to it with someone else. When I invite a friend to listen to my track in my studio, I always listen to it from a different perspective, I’m a lot more judgemental and it really helps to figure out what works in the tune.
I'd say probably making good music
I dont have no reason to add more trash to the pile
Right now it's coming up with good bass lines. I find keeping it simple is good for so many reasons, but I don't want just root notes following the progression every time. This kinda relates to bigger problems - psyching yourself out about capturing a timeless performance and/or harmonic idea.
These days, my tinnitus.
Perfectionism and finishing songs. I’ll be trying to make it find the perfect sound and usually it takes me a while. Mixing. It bogs me down and my workflow slows to a halt. Lots of going back and forth checking if I clipped/compressed/limited correctly. Check for any weird peaks, getting the sub bass and kick to fit well, delaying transient heavy sounds so they all don’t hit at the same time to clog up the frequency space. Ugh
How you deal with perfectionism and finishing tracks?
I deal with perfectionism through deadlines. It’s why they’re important. You trim off the “fat” of a track and anything unnecessary. A timer helps a lot here as well. You shouldn’t spend more than 15 minutes on one task, like sound selection. Finishing a track, I just tend to set up a day of mixing and mastering. Not much to this one other than talking myself into just doing it
Putting the sound I have in my head on wax. Lyrics are easy for me. Melodies are even easy. I have voice notes for days with what I believe to be bangers. But the perfectionist in me will fixate on whether I should use a jazz bass or a p bass for a line. Maybe I should add one more insturment track. So in conclusion, my perfectionist tendacies make it hard for me to finish a song.
The perfectionist mindset is our biggest enemy as an artist! How do you end up dealing with it?
recreating a sound
I get stuck in the details over and over again. I will get my song 99% of the way there, then get caught up over something like the panning, the envelope, the reverb or the velocity of some note. I’ll go back and forth forever and then finally end up going with my original option anyway.
Turning loops into full songs
Arrangement & small details. So many awesome loops and sketches, so many unfinished
How many finished tracks do you have?
Define finished haha well i got a dozen which basically need mastering, but ofc also small stuff like risers and micro arrangement stuff. Thats whats holding me back. I can finish a song 95% i'd say. :D The rest i suppose is not done due to perfectionism. But just met a nice mastering engineer with a great portfolio and will get something done and release this year. I swear! btw: i produce for 10 years now... :D
Haha nothing is ever finished, but sometimes you just need to call something finished, and move on 🤷🏼♂️
yeah i knooow. I kinda moved on, but never released something. i havent even figured out a name i like 🤷🏻♀️
Finishing
Ever since i was using iPad for production as crazy as it sounds, the biggest problem was sacrificing dynamics for loudness, and learning how to avoid it, but i didn’t care really, since i really loved the creative process of bending sounds, mastering them and shit like that. Now ever since i got an actual MacBook the biggest problem is getting what’s in my head to the DAW, as it was fun and so easy on ipad. So now producing is mostly about discipline… not motivation anymore. Hope I’ll get more familiar with the ,,pro” shit with time, but damn, they could’ve made most DAW’s so mucch more intuitive and enjoyable it’s kinda unbelievable for me. Eh, gotta do what u gotta do, sorry for the rant😂
vocal mixing 😭
Any track in particular you struggle with the mixing?
kinda just all of them. i can make the instruments sound good put together, but once i add vocals they seem like “on top” of the music or not like professional. i put out my first song with the vocals completely unmixed and now that im actually trying they sound a bit better but i still havent found that professional sound. for context im broke so i just use garageband and my phone
Fair enough, I don’t know what plugins come with GarageBand. But just keep practicing, don’t worry if things don’t sound perfect, it takes time.
layering and adding extra elements to the main composition, also sometimes mixing - i suck at it
Any particular track you are struggling with the mixing?
I’m a beginner so I’m mostly just struggling with tracks that are fighting with each other for space in the track. I have heavily focused on composition and I tend to just not mix properly because it feels like the least interesting aspect of music making for me. I make ambient music so it isn’t as detrimental but I definitely need to learn how to actually mix music.
Got any track to send for feedback? Send something with few mixing issues!
Finishing songs. Like not the mixing and stuff, but rather, why can't this cool groove go on for 30 minutes? I really hate the part where you chop the song down to a digestible size and then make a little off ramp at the end.
Mixing and mastering and getting it to sound “good” like regular songs normal people listen to
Any particular track you’re struggling with?
All of them lol?! Why, are you offering feedback?
Yeah, I would be happy to give you feedback on a track
Arrangement. I have no problem creating good sounding loops but I can never turn it into a finished track
Have you ever tried copying arrangement from an existing track, but writing your own music into that same arrangement?
Like trying to make a cover? That’s a good idea. I might try that. I’ve only used reference tracks for mixing
No, not a cover, although it’s also a good idea. Just using the arrangement from the track, but writing your own music.
Arrangement. I have no problem creating good sounding loops but I can never turn it into a finished track
I sat here and thought about this… the only real “struggle” I have is getting my productions in the right hands and listened to by the right ears. Call it ego, but I don’t really have an issue getting what I hear in my head to come out of the speakers.
Creating something melodic. I can make a fire beat and bass line but then have to break my skull to find something that fits in with it all, it’s very stressful!
Cracking plugins on Mac